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Key characteristics

Family: Adoxaceae
Height: 8 to 10 feet
Width: 4 to 6 feet
Flower color: Fragrant pink, fading to white
Foliage color: Bronze-tinged in spring, maturing to deep green; turns burgundy-red in fall
Bloom time: Late winter to early spring
Light: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low, but site in a protected location to prevent frost damage to flowers
Growing zone: USDA Zones 5 to 8
Wildlife: Bees and other pollinators

Shrubs

Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'

Dawn Viburnum

Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn' is a deciduous hybrid shrub renowned for its long-lasting floral display. It combines the best traits of its parents, including frost resistance and abundant flowering. Its blooms begin in late autumn, persist through winter, and extend into early spring, opening as fragrant clusters of rose-pink buds that mature to blush white flowers on bare stems.

This shrub is particularly valued for its vibrant winter presence, offering clusters of sweetly scented flowers during the colder months when few other plants bloom.

Light

Full sun to part shade

Water

Medium

Bloom time

Late winter to early spring

Find this plant

Companion plants

Holly · Daisy bush · Tulips · Pineapple lily · Salvias · Rose campion

Design tip

Bring ‘Dawn’ near winter pathways or frequently viewed windows, where its flowers can be enjoyed when the garden is otherwise quiet. Rose-pink buds opening along bare branches create welcome winter color, while their fragrance adds another dimension at close range.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)